Previously, within just 30 days of July 2020, the Central Highlands region (except Lam Dong province) recorded about 100 cases of diphtheria infection. Among them, 3 people died. This is the first time in decades that the Central Highlands region has faced a large-scale infectious disease epidemic. At that time, many district medical centers and Central Highlands General Hospital were overloaded because of the number of patients being treated for the diphtheria epidemic. The Ministry of Health must issue a "red alert" status and at the same time send working delegations to support the Central Highlands region in fighting the epidemic.
However, 4 years later, the situation has changed, the diphtheria epidemic is no longer a big concern for the health sector in the provinces in the region.
Mr. Hoang Hai Phuc - Director of Dak Lak Provincial CDC - said: "Over the past 3 years, the provincial health sector has not recorded any case of diphtheria infection due to vaccination against diphtheria (Td). for adults, especially children, is implemented drastically. From 2020 to 2023, the medical force has vaccinated 2 shots in a total of more than 1.4 million cases, reaching a rate of more than 90.5%. With high vaccine coverage rates throughout the population, it is very difficult for a diphtheria epidemic to break out."
Statistics from the Central Highlands Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, from 2021 up to now, in 4 provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, the unit has not received any reports of cases positive for diphtheria. The Td vaccine coverage rate in the entire population is more than 90%.
However, the process of vaccinating people with Td vaccine in Dak Lak province still faces many difficulties. People have difficulty accessing some medical services because of remote roads and do not respond to vaccination work. People's living habits are not hygienic, easily causing pathogens to appear. It is forecasted that the diphtheria epidemic in the coming years may break out and become complicated.
Mr. Ho Ngoc Gia - Director of Gia Lai Provincial CDC - shared: "In 2020, the province did not have enough vaccine to deploy vaccination for the entire population. However, in the past 3 years after being vaccinated, when there were no more cases of the disease in the area, people had a subjective mentality and refused to be vaccinated. This situation occurs in ethnic minorities in remote areas with poor sanitary conditions and the risk of disease outbreaks is very high."
With the current high vaccine coverage rate, the possibility of diphtheria outbreaks returning to the provinces in the Central Highlands region like in 2020 is very low. However, there is still a risk of a small number of scattered cases in some remote areas.
